


Lazy Afternoon

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Werewolf!Jason AU [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 17:13:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12512252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: You don’t give a wolf dog treats, Damian. Okay?





	Lazy Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

> This is plotless dialogue garbage but I miss this au and want to get back into it. They go on patrol with Tim, his butt isn’t too bony - but he is the butt of ALL JOKES of the night - and they turn it into tag when Nightwing and Batman try to get too close. Damian doesn’t say anything to Jason but he gets real emotionally stuck on being called a ‘good kid’ for like. Weeks. It’s so foreign to him. Sorry this sucks. Maybe I’ll update in less than a year this time and it’ll be better than this.

It was a nice day. The colorful leaves wafting in the wind made a nice sound. The sun was shining. There were no scents, but still, even the air smelled nice. It didn’t make sense, but hey – he had the power to turn into a goddamn wolf, so nothing really had to.

He was sitting with Damian under a tree, in said wolf form. He was curled up on one side, head under Damian’s elbow, while the cat Alfred and dog Titus sat on the other. Damian was in the middle, sketching away in his notebook, the only real noises being the scratches of pencils, or the plop and rummaging of when he dropped a pencil bag into the bag by his knee and looked for a new one.

Oh and also – humming. The kid was totally humming. Nothing Jason knew, but it sounded nice all the same. Nice and relaxed.

And what a thing – to see Damian relaxed. While Jason still didn’t know everything about the kid, he knew enough to know that Damian only relaxed when he felt safe, or loved. Otherwise he was a little ball of pent up nerves and tension.

But he was relaxed, here, with Jason. He felt safe, here, with Jason.

(He might even feel loved, here, with Jason.)

And the weight of that was not lost on the wayward older brother.

He huffed, and without realizing it, snuggled deeper into Damian’s side.

Damian didn’t stop humming. Didn’t stop drawing. Just reached out his free hand and gently scratched at Jason’s ear.

(Hesperus began wagging their tail at this. Not that Jason tried to stop him too much.)

A few minutes later, there was the sound of the back door sliding open.

“Um…” Damian glanced up, and Jason merely opened his eyes lazily, ignoring Hesperus’ immediate tension. Tim stood there, a mixture of nervousness and annoyance. “Bruce wants to know if you’re going on patrol tonight?”

“Whom?” Damian responded.

“Both of you. Either of you. I don’t know.” Tim sighed. “Just…are you?”

Damian hummed again, thoughtfully this time. Jason felt him look down at him.

“…Yeah, I suppose.”

“Great.” Tim drawled. “Got anything I need to tell Bruce or Dick? Since apparently I get to play messenger between you two and those two.”

“Consider it an honor, Timbo.” Jason whined. “Means you’re held in higher regard than them. Unless you _want_ to be shunned…?”

“Don’t start.” Tim snapped. “I’m aware of my weird limbo status, Jason, thanks.”

“Good.” Jason closed his eyes again. Hesperus relaxed. “Then go away.”

Damian snorted, and the noise sounded like laughter.

Tim sighed, but did as he was told, turning back into the house, no doubt returning to Bruce and Dick to inform them that, no, there is actually nothing to report. It’ll probably make them grumpy and stressed, and more bitter and emotionally constipated than they were normally.

Good.

He was caught in his reverie, enjoying the imagined angst of his brother and father, when suddenly, there was something being held in front of his nose. Meat of some sort. Not much, but…

He sniffed at it, and could feel Hesperus perking as he opened his eyes to stare at it. It was a little brown ball. “What the hell is this?”

“A treat.” Damian hummed. Paused, then revised his response. “A dog treat. You’re a dog.”

“I’m a _wolf_ , thank you very much. And yes, there _is_ a difference.”

“It’s just meat. Nothing processed. I _called_ it a dog treat, but it’s not really. Alfred eats them too.” A pause, and Jason watched as Damian split the snack and offered the pieces to the other two. Titus chomped away happily. Alfred did as well, though much more quietly. “…Pennyworth helped me make them.”

Jason glanced up. “You _made_ them?”

“Yesterday.”

“…Why?” Jason asked curiously. Watched as Alfred finished his snack and thanked his boy by leaning up to his face, giving him a quick lick with that rough tongue and rubbing his cheek against his chin. As Titus slapped his hand over Damian’s knee in equal gratitude.

“Because Grayson once told me when you love someone, you should do nice things for them. And because I felt like it.” Damian offered simply. “Besides, they deserve something nice, don’t you think? They put up with _me_ after all.”

Jason blinked, and replayed the words.

Because he loved them. Because he loved them he _made_ them something special.

And here he was, offering that something special to him.

…Does that mean Damian loves him too?

(And does Damian really think of himself so poorly that he believes he’s a burden even to his pets? Despite the fact that it couldn’t have been farther from the truth?)

If it was a slipup on Damian’s part, he didn’t seem to notice. Or at least realize. But still, it made Jason’s heart swell and beat faster. There was no odder feeling than being told you were loved or cared about, inadvertently or otherwise. By someone you expected to say it or not.

Without another word, Damian held out another treat to Jason, and this time Jason took it. Slobbered a little bit on Damian’s hand on purpose.

And he had to admit…it was kind of delicious. Sweet, seasoned meat cooked perfectly. He could taste Alfred’s touch to the recipe, and even Damian’s kitchen inexperience, but eagerness to please, all the same.

Hesperus didn’t give a shit about any of that though. He downright _loved_ it, and was already whining for Jason to get more.

(No wonder Damian still called him a dog. Hesperus, you’re embarrassing yourself!)

As he chomped away, he felt Damian’s hand go back to his ear, and restart stroking his head gently. He silently leaned into the touch, giving as much as a silent thank you as he could, just like Titus and Alfred had.

“Did you like it?” Damian asked after a moment. Jason nodded as best he could. “Pennyworth says we should try different styles. You may have to be a taste tester.”

“I can do that. I’ll taste them as a human _and_ a wolf, to make sure it’s _really_ good.” Jason decided. “…Thanks, though.”

“You’re welcome.” Damian replied, and he almost sounded relieved.

Jason hesitated, debating. But he decided – fuck it. He’d promised he was in it for this kid. And if he didn’t go all the way, that didn’t make him any better than Bruce and Dick, did it?

“…And I love you too.”

Damian’s hand on his ear hesitated. Jason could practically hear Damian’s heart speed up. Alfred meowed in laughter.

“…I didn’t say that, Todd.” Damian scolded.

“You didn’t have to.” Jason countered gently. Hesperus whined again. “Now give me another meatball.”

He heard Damian scoff in a pout, but did as he was told, and held out another treat. He hummed in enjoyment, and flopped onto his side, pressing tighter against Damian’s leg. Huffed a big sigh as he closed his eyes again, and secretly relished in the scratches Damian was giving to his flank.

“…What’re you drawing?” He asked after a moment.

“Various things.” Damian responded. “Profile studies of Grayson, Cassandra and Mother. Drake prior to and after coffee. You ripping the Joker’s throat out with your fangs, while a baby sleeps peacefully on your back, between your shoulder blades.”

“Are you the baby?”

“Absolutely _not_.” Damian almost sounded insulted. “The baby is a metaphor for the innocence you try to protect via violence.”

“Deep.” Jason grunted, listening as a window was opened somewhere in the house. He heard Dick’s quiet, grumpy voice coming from it. Hesperus growled quietly in return.

“Are _you_ thinking about anything?” Damian inquired, sounding like one of those four-year-olds who ask ‘why’ four hundred times a day.

“Mhm.”

“What?”

“Meatballs.” Jason grinned. Damian frowned, and pulled his hand away. Jason rolled over further, so his legs were practically sticking up in the air. “Nah, I’m thinking about you.”

Damian paused, and looked down at him, embarrassment already heating up his cheeks. “What?”

“I’m thinking about how you’re a damn good kid, and am wondering why it took me getting temporarily turned into a werewolf to see it.” Jason admitted. Damian looked away instantly. Towards his pets. “So…sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to apologize. You’re not even _right_. But…you confronted Grayson and Father, that’s…amends enough for me.” Damian mumbled. Jason smiled again, felt Hesperus bark in amusement too as he tried to lean closer into his cub’s side, but didn’t push it. He and Damian were too much alike that way. Don’t push the emotional stuff they don’t want to talk about, at least not too much. Wait until they’re ready. “…You really think the wolf thing is temporary?”

“That’s what all the League magicians say.” Jason sighed. “Honestly, though I wouldn’t be adverse to being this way forever. Not to bad of a life, if I’m honest.”

“Only because you think you can piss anywhere you want and get away with it.” Damian smirked. Even Alfred seemed to laugh again, in his catty way.

“Hey, I haven’t shit in your room yet so I don’t see why you’d have a problem with it.” Jason joked back. Damian smiled and rolled his eyes. “And don’t worry, I promise I won’t shit in Tim’s room, or the girls’, unless they deserve it. I also promise I’ll make Dickie and Bruce be the ones to clean it up, not Alfie.”

“You’d have to go back to being a human once in a while to make Grayson or Father do _anything_ , but you’d better stick to those promises, or else.” Damian scolded. “…What time did you want to go on patrol?”

“Dusk is good.” Jason countered. “You stealing a car or want to hitch a ride?”

“If you’re willing, I’ll accept a ride.” Jason heard the scratching of Damian’s pencil suddenly pick back up. “You’re faster than Father’s cars. And it’s less of a carbon footprint.”

“Yeah, okay Princess Mononoke.” Jason scoffed. Damian didn’t react.

“And…we should probably invite Drake to accompany us.” Damian admitted. “As you said yourself, he is not shunned yet. And I can tell he is doing what he can to stay neutral.”

“Neutral isn’t a good choice either, but I’m not about to get into a discussions of ethics versus oppressors with a ten-year-old, so. Fine. He can come with, but _you_ have to ask him.” Jason agreed. “And I swear if his butt’s too bony, he’s gotta get his own ride.”

Damian just grinned, and continued drawing. Jason watched him for a moment, before rolling back onto his side, staring across the yard, and the colorful trees.

“…Thanks again for the snack. It really was good.” Jason mumbled. “…And you really _are_ a good kid, Damian. Really.”

He didn’t sense a reaction, and Damian’s pencil never stopped. But suddenly his tiny hand was back on Jason’s flank, petting gently. Hesperus calmed under the attention, and in turn, Jason did too.

And he was almost asleep again, when he heard his charge whisper: “So are you, Todd. And you always have been.”


End file.
